By Olivia Turner | Arts & Life Editor
Caché McClay, a journalist with USA Today, has what many journalists might consider their dream job — to be a Beyoncé reporter. On Thursday afternoon in the Castellaw Communications building, she paid a visit to Baylor to share her story with students, staff and alumni.
McClay is the first ever solely Beyoncé-focused journalist — a highly competitive role which she obtained in November 2023. She said her job entails eating, sleeping and breathing all things Beyoncé. The role is challenging and there are always surprises, but it’s something she’s always wanted, she said.
“Because Beyoncé is so powerful, there’s always news circulating around her at every time of every day [and] in the middle of the night,” McClay said. “I’m always having to be in the know about these things, even if they aren’t newsworthy, to make sure that I keep my pulse on that.”
Growing up, McClay grew up in what she described to be a “Beyoncé house,” with her sisters playing her music non-stop. Though a long-time fan, McClay said she doesn’t let her admiration for her favorite artist to get in the way of reporting on her truthfully and objectively.
“When I was hired into this role — obviously it sounds so fun and it is — but I made it a point to maintain my integrity and those core values,” McClay said.
On her journey to becoming the Beyoncé reporter for USA Today, McClay said she held several different writer, newscaster and producer roles with outlets such as TMZ, BBC and NBC, but started off at a local radio station in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Every job she’s had has led her to where she is today, McClay said.
“So at TMZ, I was one of four writers in our newsroom, the only minority and the only woman writer, and so we had to write about five, just 10 stories per day. So it’s very fast paced, the newsroom, and with that, I still wanted to challenge myself,” McClay said.
With Beyoncé’s recent dive into the country genre with her album “Cowboy Carter,” McClay said she too has had to dive into the art, history and community of country.
“I had to go to the Grand Ole Opry and talk to artists there,” McClay said. “I went to the Country Radio Seminar, and I was often the only woman in the room. I had to really make sure that I too was up to date and keen on this community as a reporter who now is covering a country music album.”
Before “Cowboy Carter” came out, McClay recounted waiting up with her editor until midnight for the album to drop so she could listen to, write and report on the new music. Prior, McClay said she was able to interview several of the collaborators on the album and write features on them.
“So up until midnight, I was doing a news hit and then as soon as I got off, we listened to the full album,” McClay said. “We had to write up about 10-or-so articles, and then I got a few hours of sleep. And the next morning, I had more hits. And then in that day, I made a point to interview all the featured women on Blackbird the same day [and] get them in our office. And then after that, I had to write up that story and do those videos, and then I ended the night going to a “Cowboy Carter” listening party in Nashville and talk about why that was so important to that demographic in Nashville. So it was a long day. It was really fun.”
The reason McClay — along with many Beyoncé fans — views the “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” singer as one of the most powerful women in the world has to due with her overwhelming influence on business, culture, entertainment and the economy. Beyoncé has launched several businesses just in the past year such as her new perfume brand, “Cé Lumière,” and her whiskey brand, “SirDavis.” She has also sparked conversation within the country community with “Cowboy Carter,” McClay said.
McClay said since obtaining her role as Beyoncé reporter, she herself has been covered several times by outlets like the Today Show, CNN and BBC News.To this day, McClay has never met Beyonce in person. However she is in close contact with the artist’s team, and has a question she’d like to ask her when she meets her one day.
“I’m curious to know how she sees herself, and if there’s anything looking back that she would change in her career, or looking forward to most now that she’s accomplished so much,” McClay said.
In reflection of McClay’s presentation, Plano junior Marissa Essenburg, who is a big-time Beyoncé fan, said she was able to learn a lot from McClay in terms of what to expect as a journalist in the real world.
“You have to be in the know, and you have to be ready to go,” Essenburg said. “And whatever it is, you got to be a quick learner and on the fly and just have the ability to persevere and learn new things all the time.”
